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Underhill Tops First Jetta TDI Cup Podium at Iowa

NEWTON, IA (Sept. 20) – Jimmy Underhill, 21, of Denver, Colo., claimed the top prize at Iowa Speedway Saturday in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup race Presented by Soybiodiesel, after starting on the pole for the first time in the series. Underhill led all 33 laps of the 30-minute sprint race in his clean diesel vehicle to earn his first victory in the series, having placed third twice before, and second once. Mark Pombo, 26, of Duluth, Ga., held the second position on the podium, with Michael DeNino, 18, of Gaithersburg, Md., taking third.

“Practice went really well and then I spent qualifying just trying to get the track down a little more, so I went into the race feeling confident that if I just ran my qualifying lap 30 times I would finish at the top,” said Underhill. “Those guys tried to catch me pretty quickly, but in the end it all worked out and I took first. I have to thank Rent2race.com and Volkswagen for their support in this series.”

The race was perhaps the most dramatic so far, with multiple three-car wide moments down the backstretch and plenty of door-to-door racing in front of an estimated crowd of 18,000 race fans.

As the first roval for the TDI Cup series, the Iowa Speedway circuit provided a new challenge for the drivers that required immediate adaptation, due to a one-day schedule which had the drivers practicing, qualifying and racing all on Saturday. While Underhill started from the pole and maintained the lead throughout, both Pombo and DeNino came from significant deficits (starting eighth and 12th respectively) to finish in the top three.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup now heads to New Jersey Motorsports Park for a double-race weekend, Sept. 26 – 28.

Complete Jetta TDI Cup Presented by Soybiodiesel race results are listed below with finishing position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car sponsor and laps completed.
1. (1), Jimmy Underhill, Denver, Colo., VW Jetta TDI, 33.
2. (8), Mark Pombo, Duluth, Ga., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -.268.
3. (12), Michael DeNino, Gaithersburg, Md., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -1.166.
4. (7), Caleb Kenney, Berkeley, Calif., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -4.305.
5. (2), Chris Castagna, Boston, Mass., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -4.803.
6. (9), Chris Kuenning(R), Grand Rapids, Mich., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -8.145.
7. (4), Josh Hurley(R), Cooper City, Fla., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -8.424.
8. (3), Juan Pablo SierraLendle, Puebla, MX, VW Jetta TDI, 33, -9.000.
9. (13), Liam Kenney, Sterling, Va., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -8.049.
10. (20), Chris Holman, Burlington, Ontario, VW Jetta TDI, 33, -9.591.
11. (15), Andy Lee, Colorado Springs, Colo., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -10.105.
12. (22), Jake Dallenbach, Charlotte, N.C., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -9.324.
13. (16), Andrew Cordeiro(R), Woodbridge Ont, Canada, VW Jetta TDI, 33, -10.755.
14. (14), Gary Williams_Jr., Dana Point, Calif., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -11.433.
15. (11), David Jurca, Federal Way, Wash., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -11.949.
16. (10), Taylor Broekemeier(R), Fort Collins, Colo., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -12.851.
17. (19), Wyatt Dallenbach, San Antonio, Texas, VW Jetta TDI, 33, -13.414.
18. (17), Evan Pflock(R), Redondo Beach, Calif., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -13.933.
19. (18), Derek Jones, Philadelphia, Pa., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -14.971.
20. (23), Chad Brassfield(R), Phoenix, Ariz., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -15.253.
21. (26), Adam Love(R), Normal, Ill., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -24.674.
22. (25), David Heinz(R), Pittsburgh, Pa., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -26.500.
23. (21), David Richert(R), Niverville MB, Canada, VW Jetta TDI, 33, -27.077.
24. (29), Adam Kretschmer(R), Brampton, Ontario, VW Jetta TDI, 33, -27.563.
25. (24), Adam Crepin(R), St. Louis, Mo., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -27.989.
26. (28), Ryan Buetzer, Long Beach, Calif., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -30.272.
27. (27), Noah Arundel, Tonka Bay, Minn., VW Jetta TDI, 33, -34.794.
28. (6), Nick Mancuso, Mettawa, Ill., VW Jetta TDI, 32, -1 lap.
29. (5), Timmy Megenbier, Melrose Park, Ill., VW Jetta TDI, 32, -1 lap.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series is an innovative approach to motorsports – 29 factory-prepared and managed 2009 clean-diesel Jetta TDIs will be piloted by talented, up-and-coming drivers, aged 16 to 26. Volkswagen’s goal is to find the driver with the most talent and help them break into the world of professional motorsports. The Jetta TDI Cup series, the first all clean-diesel race series, is sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing Inc. Sponsors for the race include: Aggreko, Athlete’s Performance, Bondurant, Bosch, ful®, Holder, Hoopla, Ironclad, Kyosho, Oakley, RedBull, UTI and ViON.

Volkswagen of America, Inc.
Volkswagen of America, Inc. recently announced Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as standard equipment on all its 2009 vehicles. As a result, Volkswagen is one of the only original equipment manufacturers to offer an electronic stability control system on their entire product line – ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) deadline requiring vehicles in the 2012 model year to include stability control systems. Volkswagen’s ESP technology works in conjunction with anti-lock brakes and helps reduce loss of control and rollovers to avoid crashes. NHTSA predicts nearly 10,000 lives could be saved each year if automakers included stability systems as standard equipment.
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Va. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat Wagon, Eos, Tiguan and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com.

SCCA Pro Racing
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Ltd. is a leading sanctioning body for motor sports events in the United States. A member of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), SCCA Pro Racing operates and sanctions the SCCA SPEED World Challenge Championships, the SCCA Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, as well as provides sanctioning and various operational services for other racing series. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.